Marriages in India are often judged by the money spent on them. However, instead of counting out notes, a young couple in Jammu and Kasmir has struck a green note with their marriage. This is the story of Daisy Sheikh, who demanded not gold and money but saplings from her would-be husband Yasir Hussain, and he happily complied!
There is always a push from environmentalists to spread the message of afforestation and reforestation at the school level, so the drive to save the planet can begin right in childhood. Perhaps that is why a school in Chhattisgarh asks its students to pay fees in trees and saplings instead of money.
Yasir, too, believes in much of the same philosophy. The 28-year-old principal of a private school in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir got the students of his school to plant saplings as well! He told IBTimes India that the credit for this initiative goes to his wife Daisy: It was her idea to ask for saplings instead of gold and money.
"She told me gold is only for personal use. The saplings we plan will be of use to many people," said Yasir. And that is what they did on Monday, April 24, a day after their marriage. "We planted 50-60 saplings with the help of the state forest department," he told IBTimes India.
By his own admission, Yasir has been an environmental enthusiast from a tender age. As he grew up, so did his passion for planting more and more trees. "That was how I got in touch with the forest department and enlisted their support. I have got students of my school to plant saplings at areas designated by the department on several occasions," he said.
It seems the planting of saplings took place with blessings of the parents of the bride and the groom. Saplings were planted at their houses as well!
